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“In the Dark Times, long before the age of the Time Lords, our ancestors developed a way to imbue words with their combined senses. Soon with enough practice and prolonged exposure to the vortex, their language was able to make their dreams reality.” he explained as they walked away from the entrance. “Old High Gallifreyan once possessed the power to raise empires and destroy gods. That saying is not just some legend or a tale. It is the truth. We only forgot how to use it.” This amazed the Games. As a child he had listened tales and stories about their ancestors using only words to devour false gods. And now he learned that not only were they true, but he could also use the same power. “Is that why it doesn’t work on Time Lords?” he asked, momentarily snapping from his amazement. Rassilon shook his head to his sides as a no. “It is because the affinity to the language exists in every pure Gallifreyan. However, not every Time Lord can learn this language. You can, because you belong to one of the Oldblood houses. While it is common that a regular Time Lord can resist Old High Gallifreyan, it is very rare that he can utilize it.” Of course, there weren’t many left from the Oldblood houses like him. Rassilon and the Games were both among the few that had survived over the years. Of course, Rassilon had founded a great amount of the Time Lord civilization personally but that didn’t matter as long as blood rights were concerned. “What about hybrids?” asked the Games in a curious tone, without letting Rassilon take a hint. “Hybrids are not pure.” replied the man with a disgusted expression. Not only he thought that the Time Lords were superior to every other race, he found any offspring with another race simply unfathomable.

“So how does it work?”“It is easy. You combine your temporal, spatial and psychic senses and focus them all in one point. Afterwards you speak in Old High Gallifreyan. Let me demonstrate.” Rassilon snapped his fingers and made a metal plate appear several meters away from them. “ROAN!” he yelled and at the same time, the metal plate folded in two. “That wasn’t so… strong.” remarked the Games, feeling kind of disappointed. He had expected a bigger effect after all. “The form and strength of your Old High Gallifreyan depends on the balance of your senses. If you want to make your words stronger you have to increase the pressure on all of your senses. In a similar way one of them decreasing is enough to weaken it. My psychic capabilities have decreased over the years, that is why it was weak.” Hearing the man’s explanation, the Games decided to have a go himself. “ROAN!” he yelled and bent the metal plate into a spherical shape. He had failed to fold it precisely like Rassilon had, but he had displayed a greater power. “What does it mean?” He didn’t like using words he didn’t know, which disturbed him quite quickly. But the answer he was about to receive would make him question it. “Roan means bend.” The Games raised an eyebrow. Sure, it was a cool power they were displaying. But how could he stop Caitlin with the power to bend materials? “And how is that going to help?” Rassilon laughed at the Games’ insolence. He didn’t know yet but what he was teaching him was an actual language. And the words could hold more than just one meaning. “As you can see, we both bent the metal plate. However, in your case, what you are going to bend is the willpower of your friend. You will force your friend to stand down. It is obviously more complicated than what you just did.” He walked over to the metal plate and examined it. “You have to work on your balance.” he said once his inspection was over.

*later*

The Games exited the room and after him, Rassilon. Both of them had considerably longer hair now. But that was natural: while only several minutes had passed outside, the duo had been training for several months now. Swiping his ginger hair back once they were back in the console room, the Time Lord helped Rassilon fix the loop they had created before. As the Battle TARDIS dematerialized, the Games let out a sigh and glared at Rassilon, who was staring at a monitor somewhat blankly. He wanted to ask if everything was alright, though simultaneously he came into realization that from this point on they were back to being enemies. Deciding not to bother him or himself any further, he walked towards the door. “One advice before you leave. Use your head more often.” said Rassilon, urging the Games to stop. “What?” Rassilon rotated the monitor and showed it to the Time Lord. It was displaying a specific page that contained the security details. From what it seemed, the number of attempts to break the loop they had placed as zero. Nobody had attempted to bypass their precaution. “Your friend blocked the Time Vortex. It is an immense power. So much so that we had to create a loop to be safe. But apparently she did not even bother to stop you. Why?” Rassilon raised a good question. Although he didn’t receive an answer, he had made his point pretty clear. Obviously it wasn’t that Caitlin hadn’t bothered coming after the Games. It was that she couldn’t. The reason for that wasn’t that important; what mattered was the fact that her god-like powers had limits. Returning to his TARDIS briefly, the Games retrieved the items he needed before coming back. “As promised, your mapping circuits.” said the Time Lord, as he handed the circuits to Rassilon. Seeing Rassilon nod his head in approval, the Games extended his hand to the man for a handshake, but Rassilon refused. “Become less compassionate. I want to be your enemy.” As he spoke, the evil in his eyes returned once again. So the Time Lord took his leave and returned to his TARDIS. He had given Rassilon his ticket out of this wretched planet and found a way to get closer to Caitlin. Now he could finally execute his plan.

Initially the Games had planned to use his connection to the Time Vortex to change Caitlin’s past ever so slightly, so she would never have found out about the Skasis Paradigm. But since that was out of option, along with anything that required him to use his powers, he had to take drastic measures. He eventually came up with an idea: he created a special regeneration that would rearrange Caitlin’s DNA in an unusual way and make her a Time Lady. Doing so would also make her forget about the Skasis Paradigm and lose her control over it. Though the latter would always remain in her subconscious, it would tackle the initial problem that brought up all of this mess: Caitlin’s hunger to learn more. Her hunger hadn’t just caused her to crack the Skasis Paradigm; it was also interfering with it, to the point that it limited her powers. The constant flow of knowledge into her brain was somehow not enough for the girl’s eagerness to learn. While she still retained great powers they were all lesser versions of what they could have been. So he made adjustments to the regeneration he had prepared to make sure when Caitlin changed, her intuitive aptitude would remain as a gift and not a poison. Since her brain was going to have a higher capacity than before, due to her Time Lady genes becoming more dominant, she would finally be able to enjoy being clever without going berserk. By the time the TARDIS materialized in its previous location, the Games had everything ready.

“Hello there.” said the Time Lord as he stepped out, his tone shifting to a more silent one as he observed his surroundings. He was on the same hill again, from before he left. And Caitlin was also standing at the same spot. But everything else was entirely different. The hill was encircled with large emitters. And the hill no longer seemed to be on the outskirts of the city; it was in the middle of it. All of the emitters were connected to Caitlin via magenta colored rays of light. As for the space around them, it continued bending without a stop. Not only that but the gravity of the planet had been lowered along with the friction that had been eliminated. That was probably how Caitlin was providing the emitters with an endless supply of energy. “Games. Where have you been? You missed so much. I made several adjustments you see.” Caitlin spoke without opening her eyes. Even without seeing him she could guess what the Time Lord was doing. So she took the liberty of clarifying. “These emitters will amplify my powers and send ripples of my greatness into every corner of the universe. And then to the next one. And the next one. It will never end until I become a constant. An absolute being!” Opening her eyes she looked at the emitters powering up. Then she set her gaze upon the Time Lord. “You look… different. How?” said Caitlin. She had noticed how the man’s attire was dirtier, or how his hair was longer. It felt like he had been gone for several months, yet only fifteen or twenty minutes had passed since his departure. With the Time Vortex out of his reach, how could he look like he had travelled in time? While these thoughts intrigued her, Caitlin eventually discarded them and made a motion of grabbing. That moment the Games froze. It felt like a big invisible hand was holding his entire body.

“You know what? I don’t care.” While the Games was unable to even lift his pinky finger, Caitlin had so conveniently focused this hold over him mainly on the Time Lord’s torso area. If he focused enough he could muster enough strength to speak, which was what he needed. “The fact that-” continued Caitlin, before being cut off by a wave of wind hitting her from the front. “ROAN!” yelled the Games. “What… are you… doing?” Caitlin was clearly under the effects of the Old High Gallifreyan she had been exposed to. Somehow she was resisting the full effects, since he and Rassilon had theorized that after using the word ‘bend’ successfully, the subject would become a slave to whatever command was given. Perhaps this was due to her being half Time Lady, which meant Rassilon had given him partially wrong information. But it didn’t matter; the Games was able to move now. “I can’t… use my powers.” remarked Caitlin. “You can. But you won’t.” replied the Games. As long as he willed her not to, Caitlin wouldn’t utilize her powers. “You have gone too far.” he said as he walked towards the girl. “Besides… it’s ever so slightly but your powers are in a gradual decline. It’s not like you didn’t bother going after me, you simply couldn’t. But no worries, I found a way to force you back on the right track.” He was standing a meter away from the girl when he was done speaking. To show he was telling the truth, he showed his fingers to the girl. A spark of orange regeneration energy flickered around them. His powers were still weak, yes, but they were returning. With his point made, he took out a syringe that glowed bright orange.

“Extend your arm.” he commanded. As much as she tried to resist, the girl couldn’t help but do as she was told. “No! NO!!! Don’t do it! Don’t you see?! I can bring peace and order to the whole of reality!!! All the conflicts would cease to exist!! Is that not what you are working for Games?!!” she protested as the needle made contact with her skin. “What… what was that?!” Caitlin demanded to know, in horror that for the first time in a long while she was unable to figure something out. But the Games didn’t even utter a word. This was part of her punishment. “You can’t do this!” The girl protested again and this time received a proper response. “Oh but I can. I am the Lord President of Gallifrey and All Her Dominions. That includes the Time Vortex, which you damaged so savagely. Once you change and lose your control over the paradigm, everything will revert back to normal. The Time Vortex, my powers, the laws of physics you altered so casually… everything.” When he was finished, a bright yellow glow spread out of Caitlin’s hands. Then from her arms and lastly from her head. Understanding what was about to happen, she started crying. The idea of changing was what she had always feared the most; it was why she had altered her own regenerations in the first place. It was only appropriate that the Games’ solution to fixing her power crazy personality also acted as the ultimate punishment for her. “I hate you Games! I hate you!!” she screamed as her body started to glow more. The glow shifted from yellow into a swirl of bright rainbow colors. “Goodbye Caitlin.” uttered the Games silently and took a step back as Caitlin started regenerating. It was a painful one; the girl didn’t stop screaming since the beginning. And how could she? Her body was gaining more Gallifreyan traits: a second heart grew next to the first, her rib cage grew two additional ribs and her brain established new senses. As the regeneration neared its end, the effects of the Skasis Paradigm also started to disappear. The gravity returned to normal and the Games felt his connection to the Time Vortex return, as well as his own powers. The city around them vanished and the emitters ran out of energy as they were once again left alone on the hill. The regeneration ended several seconds after everything returned to normal and the Games looked at Caitlin: she now had blonde hair and lighter skin. She was also unconscious, which is why the Games lifted her and carried her to the TARDIS.

After placing the girl inside the Zero Room, the Games waited for her to regain her consciousness. When she did after half an hour of lying still, she was greeted by the green light and signature sound of the Time Lord’s sonic screwdriver. “How are you feeling?” he asked as he moved his sonic along the girl’s body. “…different.” replied Caitlin. She felt like she was watching herself from a third-person view but that was mainly because of the regeneration. That wasn’t why the Games scanning her body either. “My mind is so clear… so light…” Caitlin paused to straighten her posture. She also noticed the unusual room they were in. Looking around helped her noticed they were in the Zero Room. It looked different from before but that was not all. For the first time in her life, Caitlin could feel being cut off from the universe. She had been here before but this was her first time experiencing something like that. “Everything from before just feels so… foggy.” She returned her attention to the Games, who simultaneously finished scanning her body and flicked his sonic screwdriver to check the readings. “Your brain had been under intense stress for a long period. That’s probably why.” said the Time Lord with a smile. He retracted his sonic’s claws and put it back into his pocket as he came closer to the girl. “This regeneration I prepared for you not only rearranged your DNA, but also changed its composition. You are only one fourth human now. The Time Lord genes will help you stay in control.” He signed Caitlin to check put her hand on her chest and so she did. Her expression changed as she felt two heartbeats instead of one. “The presence of the Skasis Paradigm cancels out the influence of your intuitive aptitude, while still allowing you to use the latter’s power… to a lesser degree than before but you’ll have to do with it. At least you won’t have to deal with wanting to learn more all the time.” One thing he didn’t mention was the risk he had taken: the regeneration could theoretically kill Caitlin during the process. But at that point, knowing how her predecessor had gotten, it was a risk the Games was willing to take.

“Thank you.” Caitlin hugged the Games and then stood up. Once they broke the hug, the Games led the way out of the room. Caitlin noticed that the corridors looked more different from before. They looked older and more complex. “Uhm.” muttered Caitlin, drawing the Time Lord’s attention on her. “Can I change before we go anywhere?” At this point the Games noticed how ragged and dirty Caitlin’s clothes had become. “Sure. You know where the wardrobe is. I’ll be in the console room.” he replied with a nod and proceeded in a different direction then she did. When Caitlin returned to the console room, the Games noticed how different her attire was. She was wearing a white plain shirt under a navy sweater. Under those she had light green skinny pants and dark red flat shoes. She additionally wore plain black frame glasses. But before he could comment about her appearance, the girl took the initiative to make a remark on the console room.“I… see you have redecorated.” She said as she gazed upon the console. The console room now consisted of a circular area, with a red-tiled ramp leading from the doors to a hexagonal platform. On the platform was a second, circular platform. The entire room was supported by six coral pillars arranged in a hexagonal pattern that met with the top of the time rotor at the room’s ceiling. There were also several black wires connecting to the time rotor. It was dim inside, illuminated by the glow of blue light from the time rotor column in the center of the room and the lights in the hexagons on the walls. However, the glow was made less noticeable as the Games flipped a switch to activate the other lights. “I have. Do you like it?” Caitlin took a moment to glance around more. In the end she concluded that she liked this coral theme. It looked more organic than before, which, for her, kind of emphasized the TARDIS’ living soul. It didn’t look like just a machine anymore. Nodding as a yes, she made her way next to the Time Lord.

“So, where are we headed?” she asked with a glamorous smile. “Well, I was thinking of letting you decide but… I believe it’s high time I fulfilled my promise to you and took you to Gallifrey.” Upon hearing this Caitlin let out a short scream of excitement. “That sounds awesome! Oh, can we go to your house?” Her proposal was… unexpected to say the least. After all, the Games hadn’t visited his house in centuries. But a promise was a promise and he was intending to keep it. Quickly setting the new coordinates he piloted the TARDIS. Their flight was brief but shaky. Caitlin was surprised given how troublesome it had been compared to their previous flights. She didn’t want to imagine what would happen if they had stayed longer. Once they landed, the girl rushed outside to see the planet she had always wanted to see. Her mother’s home.

“God above… so this is Gallifrey!” she exclaimed. The orange sky coupled with the breeze that cooled down the twin suns heating the planet had been everything she had imagined, and more. They were overlooking a river beneath them as they were on the mountain range. And far away from them was a city that looked just so lively. “Outskirts of Arcadia to be precise. Gallifrey’s second city. Also my hometown.” clarified the Games after closing the TARDIS’ door. “The scenery is awesome.” commented the girl as the Time Lord walked towards her. “Well, the view has always been good from the gardens.” The Games’ words made Caitlin turn around to him. She noticed they were in the gardens of a big manor. The architectural design seemed like a mix of a ranch and oriental house but it was way bigger. It had four floors after all. This was natural though; she was the one who asked to be brought to the Games’ house. And this was it. But oddly enough, the house seemed old and untouched. It had an eerie feeling as if nobody had been here for a long time. While she was thinking about these she noticed five mid-sized monuments near the entrance to the house. She ignored the scenery for now and made her way towards them, only to notice a different name written on each monument. “Almund, Rynde, Celesia, Luton, Owis.” she read them aloud. “Who are these people?” Though she received a reply, it was late. “Almund and Luton were my brothers and Celesia, Rynde and Owis were my sisters.” This surprised Caitlin. “You had siblings?” As the Games walked towards her from the other end of the gardens with a serious expression she had never seen before on this face of his, Caitlin realized: for some reason she had never considered the Games to have a family. It sounded absurd to her. How could such a traveller like him ever settle down? Maybe she was wrong about it, since it had only occurred to her now that it could also be the other way around. Maybe the Games was a stationary Time Lord but the circumstances had forced him to run away.

“Yeah, five of them. I was the oldest.” As the last bits of cheerfulness diminished from the girl, she turned her head back again to look at the monuments. Just as the Games was. Once he kneeled down in front of them she realized one more thing: these weren’t monuments, they were tombstones. “So… what happened?” she asked them, rereading the names silently inside her head and trying to memorize them. “I lived. Everyone else… died.” This particular answer made the girl look at the Time Lord, confused. “There was a Time War. Against the Enemy. My sisters were all working as either doctors or medics. My brothers and I, on the other hand, were sent to the field.” The Games knelt in front of the tombstones and examined the grass around them. He gently rubbed his hand to it and touched a thin layer of dust, bringing it back to his nose to smell it. From the outside, this action could seem dumb to Caitlin. Yet, it was one of the senses she needed to learn about. Now that she was more of a Time Lady, she possessed temporal senses that enabled her to deduct how old thing were by touching, smelling and sometimes even tasting. It had been a little more than a thousand years since the Games had last visited here. And the thin layer of dust from the surface of the tombstones confirmed it. “My brothers died in battle. My sisters suffered a similar fate, more or less. And my parents were killed during an ambush that took place outside Gallifrey, so their bodies were never recovered. Lots of people died. Along with all the members of my house. My old, noble house…” “You talk like your house has something more to it... like, it has a deeper meaning.” The man’s last sentence had woken a suspicious feeling within the girl. Was there something about his heritage that she didn’t know of? How more important could someone get? He was the Lord President after all.

“My house belongs to the Prydonian Chapter, which had the most political power. Probably more than all the other chapterhouses combined. Along with a few others it’s an “Oldblood House”, meaning it is among the founding houses. Most of them vanished throughout the years. Eventually my family was the only one left, so we were considered the protectors of the Prydonian legacy. But after the Time War I became the last surviving member of my house… the last oldblood alive.” He paused shortly to stand up. “Aside from the common Gallifreyan culture, each chapterhouse has its differences, unique customs and antiques. Oldblood houses are responsible with carrying the legacy on.”“That must be quite a burden.” she commented. “Certainly not a task to be carried out by a single person. But I try my best.” Even though the Games had never wanted to be bothered by such responsibilities, he basically had no say in the matter. In a society where he was the last of his kind, he would feel empty and alone if he didn’t try to carry on the remembrances of the old days. “Doesn’t matter, I guess.” Looking at Caitlin again, he tilted his head as a sign to move. “Come on, I have a lot to teach you. Gallifreyan history, your abilities, new senses.” Caitlin wondered what he meant by all of that. Though since she trusted the Time Lord, she didn’t question it. “Looking forward to it!” she said with joy, and followed the Games as he led the way.

“Did you have to pull that lever Cait?” shouted the Games as he ran down the corridor. Next to him was Caitlin, holding a torch and running along the Time Lord, trying to keep up so she wouldn’t get squished by the giant boulder that was heading after them. “Well I assumed if I didn’t, you would!” she replied casually. The Games frowned at her response. “Why the hell would you think that?! Ugh, nevermind.” This was typical of Caitlin. Or at least, this incarnation of Caitlin. Though it wouldn’t be incorrect to say that her first incarnation was just as reckless. “Alright jerk.” said Caitlin with a smile and laughed. Knowing fully well that she was joking, the Games laughed as well. At the very same moment they approached a narrow gap on the right side of the corridor. Deciding to use this to their advantage, he grabbed Caitlin’s free hand and pulled her towards him. Together they entered the gap and let the boulder pass. “Seems like we are safe now.” he said, catching his breath. They had been running for a solid ten minutes now. But it wasn’t only because of that they felt lucky. Soon enough they heard a crashing noise. It was the boulder colliding with something, possibly a wall. Normally they would consider themselves lucky and just return to the TARDIS. But before they could, they heard a second collision sound, this being far louder than the first. The duo looked at each other with a surprised expression and without any need to speak, they both followed the path. Passing through the wall the boulder had demolished they entered a wide chamber. And in the middle of the room was the boulder, reduced into smithereens. “Wow. The boulder crumbled into pieces.” commented the Games as he approached them. “Yeah. But look. What’s that?” asked Caitlin, pointing at the hexagonal structure that was, in fact, an ancient sarcophagus.“No idea. A tomb, perhaps?”

“Isn’t it… I dunno… too strong for a regular tomb?” pointed out the girl. She was right, it wasn’t natural for some old tomb to be able to withstand a boulder of that size, let alone destroy it. “Let’s find out.” said the Time Lord, as he took his sonic screwdriver out and used it on the tomb. Though he did get absurd readings from his sonic, he also seemingly activated a mechanism within the structure. “I… didn’t do that.” The Games tried to stop the process, as he feared yet another trap was going to come after them. But that wasn’t going to be the case. The sarcophagus opened and revealed its inhabitant. “A woman?” Caitlin stood surprised, looking at the ginger woman emerge from the sarcophagus. “Ah finally. Thank you for letting me out. God knows how long I was stuck here. Days do pass quickly.” said the woman while dusting her clothes off. She looked at Caitlin first and then the Games, and smelled the air. They were indeed Gallifreyan like her, and after understanding that she continued looking at them almost as if she was expecting them to do something. They did, in the end, but something entirely different. “Sorry, just so we don’t have any misunderstandings. I wasn’t trying to get you out.” The Games was pointing his sonic screwdriver at the woman. Caitlin sighed at this. What was he going to do with a sonic, assemble a cabinet around the woman? “What… are you doing?” asked the woman, surprised. “Come on. You expect me to be familiar with someone I accidentally set free?” The Games didn’t change his position, which surprised the woman even more.

“Wait. You don’t know who I am?” “Should we?” said the girl while raising one of her eyebrows, signifying her doubt. “Well yes! Unless you live in a cave of course.” Caitlin wondered where the woman was from. Perhaps she was a celebrity from a far away planet. That would explain this constant need for recognition. “We do actually. Hermits United. We meet up every ten years and swap stories about caves. It’s good fun... for a hermit.” joked the Games under his breath. He received a judging look from Caitlin. “Can’t you just tell us your name miss?” After Caitlin’s request, the woman finally understood that the duo wasn’t joking. “I’m Ivydellaphecaterionhi, obviously. Now, can we get going? I have a lot to do to cover my absence.” The Games’ eyes opened widely as the woman walked towards him. “Oh… Yes. I’m sorry for the unpleasantness. Please lead the way.” He said apologetically and allowed her to pass. Caitlin noticed the change in his demeanor, so she waited until the woman was far enough from them to ask him what was going on. “Games, what’s wrong? Who is she?” The Time Lord cleared his throat and took a moment to speak. “She is the Architect. One of the founders of modern Gallifrey. She invented the Matrix, which over time indirectly allowed the Time Lords to access temporal and spatial travel…”“But?” continued Caitlin, wondering what his sudden stop meant. “These were all thousands of years ago. In the Academy we were taught that she had mysteriously disappeared and was ultimately assumed dead. Yet, there she stands.” Although it was hard to believe, it was the truth. The Time Lord had mixed feelings about this: what was he supposed to do with her now that he knew she was alive? Was the history that was being taught at the academy a lie? If it was, how many more lies were there?

“There is a bigger problem.” Caitlin interrupted his thinking. The Games, in return, put an annoyed expression on his face. “Ugh, what? Do you have to go to the toilet again?” he asked. Caitlin smacked his left shoulder as a response. “No, you jerk. Didn’t you notice how she talked? It was like she had been put there recently. She was surprised you didn’t know her, as if you should have. Like a person who lived in her time period.” The Games paused for a moment. Caitlin was making a good point, the woman did look astonished that they were unaware of her identity. “She also said days passed quickly… I guess you are right.” he added to the train of thoughts. “How are you gonna tell her?” asked Caitlin, directing the big question. The Games had no idea. He didn’t like dragging things out at all, there was no fun in that. Though this wasn’t a situation where he wanted to pursue fun either. “Hey, good plan.” said Ivy, referring to the Time Lord. Once she had his attention, she continued. “I don’t know my way around here. Better that you lead the way.” With a nod, the Games glanced at Caitlin and stepped forward to go in front of them. As they advanced through the dark corridors, the woman decided to get to know her rescuers. “So then, who are you two?” she asked cheerfully. “I’m the Games. And this is my friend Caitlin.” The Time Lord’s quick response made the woman giggle. Or at least that’s how it appeared to look like, which wasn’t the case. “Funny title. Do you also have a funny title, Games’ friend?” The duo looked at each other. This woman talking to them was a pure Gallifreyan, she didn’t know much about the differences of being partly human. She didn’t even know what a Time Lord was, so it was better to keep her off that topic.“Nope! I prefer using my name.” replied the girl. “I see. Then you wouldn’t mind me asking which house you are from, hm?”

“House Bell.” said Caitlin spontaneously. “Oh? Must be one of the new ones.” Back in Ivy’s time new houses had begun forming in every Chapter. With the people wanting to separate the founder houses of the newly established Gallifrey, they dubbed these new houses newblood. “Yes. Yes you could say that.” Turning to the Games, the ginger woman decided to ask the same question as well. “And you Games?” The Games knew this was coming. In all honesty, he didn’t like being questioned about his family unless there was a must. Plus, he didn’t know whether he should lie or not, since there was a high chance she would recognize his house. “Dorian.” he answered silently. “I see. You must be related to Geirr, right? He’s the only Dorian I know.” Ivy then wondered how much time had passed since she had been put in there. “What about my house? They must have been worried that I was gone for days.” She asked. At this moment the Games couldn’t think of any way to lie his way through. At least not cleverly. “Listen. I need to tell you something. The sooner, the better.” Caitlin understood what the Time Lord was about to say as he stopped and turned back to address the woman. “Games no!” she objected. “What are you two talking about?” Ivy was confused by the sudden change of pace in the duo’s synergy. “Ivydellaphecaterionhi. You are the inventor of the Matrix, but later on for unknown reasons you were demoted. After your disappearance the Matrix was used by Rassilon and the Other to suspend the Eye of Harmony in a permanent state of decay, which, with other developments, ultimately allowed them to access the Time Vortex. Because of your contributions to the Time Lord society you were given the title “the Architect” and honored.” He paused once he was done speaking to allow the woman to react. Caitlin also didn’t interfere. Ivy used this time to process his words while staring at him and the girl.

“You started normal but ended up ALL weird. What the hell are you talking about? Half of those things didn’t happen.” She objected, trying to make sense of everything. “He is talking about history. You think you have been sealed for several days but in fact, millennia has passed since you disappeared.” Caitlin nodded after concluding her sentence. “Geirr Dorian. You said he was the only Dorian you knew. That’s because he is one of the first Dorians there are to know. He is my paternal ancestor.”“So you want me to believe that Geirr is your ancestor?” Caitlin and the Games looked at each other, before the former replied to the question. “In a broad sense, so are you… probably.”“Hahahahah. That’s ridiculous.” Ivy had started to feel nervous, so she was trying to laugh it off. She started stroking her soft hair unconsciously, something she did when she didn’t know what to do. “You were so confident that I should know who you were. But I didn’t have the faintest idea until a minute ago when you told me your name. Which I remembered from my Academy textbooks.” added the Games. This was going to be followed by the real question. “So how long do you think I have been sealed back in there?” The Time Lord started to gather every single piece of information he had gathered from the tomb and from his knowledge over the Architect. Be it from the smell and taste of the ancient sarcophagus to the fact that she had witnessed the formation of Lord Presidency. “At least fourteen thousand years.” he murmured after a quick calculation. “Fourteen thousand years?!” yelled Ivy in shock. Even for a species that had a long life expectancy, that was a long time. Long enough to assume that everybody and everything she knew was long gone. She couldn’t stand the pressure and fell on her knees. “And… what about my family? My house?” she followed up, hoping at least her family had survived. It didn’t have to be people she knew, she just wanted relatives and a place she could call home. “House Caterion was one of the founding oldblood houses. Like mine.” started the Games, though once again he had difficulty continuing his sentence. Eventually he decided to continue his direct approach. “I’m sorry to tell you this but your house went extinct. They all did. We are the last oldbloods in existence.” Looking at him, Ivy’s irises dilated. And shortly after that she lost consciousness and fell back.

About an hour later, Ivy started to regain her consciousness. Once her senses started to return she was greeted by the wheezing noise of the TARDIS. She opened her eyes slowly and looked around the coral control room. As the time rotor continued moving up and down, the Games walked around the console and maintained the flight. Meanwhile Caitlin entered the control room, seemingly having a fresh set of clothes now. That was when they noticed that Ivy was awake. “Where are we?” asked the woman, still inspecting her surroundings. “Inside my TARDIS, safe and sound. You have no idea how much trouble we had to go through to return here after you fainted.” explained the Games as he continued to fly the ship. “He’s right. We thought we could go back from the same path, but it was blocked. So we had to find a way to circle around and we eventually found a second path! Though it was filled with traps.” Ivy was glad to be away from that place. Especially after having spent much more time there than she could have ever anticipated. Though even then there was still one thing she didn’t understand. “What the hell is a TARDIS?” she asked, unsure if they really were referring to the vessel they were inside right now. Even if they were, she wanted to know what kind of vessel it was. “A TT-Capsule. Type 40. Plus some upgrades.” replied the Time Lord.

“They really did find a way to contain the Eye of Harmony.” murmured Ivy. She felt blank for a second, as if she was watching the current events from a third person perspective. “I can’t believe so much time has passed… I also can’t believe I fainted.” she added with a more audible tone. It was natural for her to feel that way. After all, she was the woman out of time. “So… we are the last oldbloods alive, huh?” She looked at the Games, who nodded to her question slowly. She could see that this particular topic pained the man but he was the only one who could clear the uncertainty in her head. “How did it… happen?” The young man knew this question was coming. He didn’t object to answer it, but he didn’t bother hiding his sadness either. While looking away at the lighting panels of the coral interior, he let out a sigh and then began to speak. “Mostly natural causes. More and more newblood houses began to appear, in every single chapter. And after a while, the oldbloods started to decrease in number. Most of them died out naturally. Yours included. Better than a tragic demise right?” Ivy relaxed, knowing her family led a good life. She felt good enough that she was able to stand up and lean on a nearby railing. Caitlin was doing the same on the opposite side of the room. “And yours? If you don’t mind me asking, of course.”

“My house was wiped out during a Time War. My parents were murdered during a raid and my siblings died on the field. I was the sole survivor.” He paused and looked away for several seconds. “I’m sorry.” she said with a sad expression, even though she had no idea what a Time War was. “It’s okay. At least now I’m not the last oldblood anymore.” The Games smiled at the woman. Just like he had done with Caitlin, he intended to teach Ivy about the responsibilities of an oldblood. It was no longer his burden alone. “So, Ivydellaphecaterionhi… would you like me to update you on everything you missed?” Caitlin walked towards the woman, in an attempt to change the topic and lift the spirits up. The atmosphere inside the control room had gotten very heavy too quickly. “You can call me Ivy. And yes, please.” Caitlin grabbed Ivy’s hands and closed her own eyes. Now that she had more Time Lord genes, she was somewhat psychic and the Games had been training with her to make use of her abilities like this. She used them to give Ivy information about Gallifrey’s history after her disappearance, the wars, Rassilon and the Games. Once she was done, Ivy quickly pulled her hands back. She looked startled. “I was… right. I was right all along! The system was corrupt!” she declared cheerfully, before setting her sights on the Time Lord. Her expression changed into a disgusted one. “And you… so you are the current Lord President.” Though the Games knew that the reason she hated the higher ups of the Gallifreyan government was justified, he had expected her to, for some reason, go beyond a simple categorization. After all he had changed a lot of things ever since he had become the Lord President.

“I am. Is that… wrong?” He looked reassured and didn’t flinch while speaking. Why would he? He hadn’t done anything wrong. At least not on purpose. “I don’t know yet. But since you were kind enough to let me catch up I’ll do the same.” That said, Ivy closed her eyes. An almost invisible wave of violet energy radiated within the room and hit the Games and Caitlin. The control room started the warp as the trio’s surroundings changed. They were inside Ivy’s memory now.

“I’m sorry, Ivy. The Council considers your article borderline treachery to the current establishment. So naturally there will be some consequences.” said the man in black Gallifreyan robes. He looked rather serious even though a tint of sadness or something that could be called regret could be felt from him. “Really now?” replied Ivy with a sarcastic tone. She was still sitting behind her desk, making herself comfortable. She knew who the man was; it was the High Council’s messenger, or something like that. They had worked together for years and become good friends, yet this time he was paying her a visit for a different reason. “Yes. They were strictly determined to banish you. But I managed to convince them to consider something else.” Ivy leaned forward on her desk and narrowed her eyes. “And what would that be?” The man put the document he was holding on the desk and slid it forward for Ivy. As she opened it and began to skim through the pages, he made his explanation. “A demotion. They made you the Supervisor of the Amplified Panatropic Computer Net within the Matrix.” he said. And he was right. It was a demotion that lowered her position several times. That’s why for the first time since they met, the man saw anger upon Ivy’s face. “That’s… simply ridiculous. I created the Matrix. This is an insult to my position as the Keeper.” Even though she wasn’t wrong, and it was her right to hold the position of the Keeper, there was nothing Ivy could do anymore.

“A position you no longer have I’m afraid. You were given a week to evict your office and your laboratory.” The man nodded and leaned forward to retrieve the document. But before he could Ivy pressed her right hand on it and didn’t let it go. “What about the temporal complexity problems? What about my work on the Eye of Harmony? What will happen to them?” she asked, now standing so she could apply more pressure on the document. But it was futile; the man eventually pulled the document back into his possession with enough force. “They will all continue from where you left off after the Council appoints a new Keeper.” he replied. With a regretful expression he turned around and slowly walked towards the door of Ivy’s office. “Listen to me Kalrune. This pitiful demonstration of power won’t change anything. Demote me or not, you do know that the system is corrupt as it is now. Lots of people have already read my article and they agree with it. They can’t hide that from Rassilon forever.” Ivy’s words made the man stop right in front of the door. “Yeah, I know.” he murmured silently before he turned his head back to look at the woman. “Sorry it had to be this way Ivy.” Afterwards the man exited the room. Little did he know that this would be the last time he would ever see his friend.

*the memory shifts to another one*

Ivy walked through the streets casually, making her way to her home. It had been a long day at work, though every single day had been pretty much the same for the last two months. She hated being yelled at by her superiors; and she hated having superiors while operating her own creation even more. They had put a Prydonian man to replace her as the Keeper of the Matrix, and ever since then the Matrix functioned differently. At least not in the way she had intended it to. Letting out a sigh she passed through an alleyway. Just as she was about to step onto the main street, six people suddenly surrounded her and knocked her out. She didn’t even have any time to react. By the time she woke up, all she could feel was a massive headache. “Ughhh. What happened?” she said as she tried to move her hands upwards to rub her eyes. But she couldn’t. She was restrained inside a containment field. Not only was she unable to move, she could also feel being on another planet than Gallifrey, since the gravity felt way off. She quickly scanned her surrounding to try to figure out where she was but before she could make any progress in the dark cave, several lights turned on and focused on her. She could barely see what was around her now but even then it was not difficult to notice the people standing in front of her. It was the Lord Chancellor, leader of the High Council, and behind him three cardinals on both sides. “Ivydellaphecaterionhi. Your treacherous article aroused unwanted attention on the High Council and risked its integrity. Moreover you continued to support the rebellious formations and even led them. What do you say in your defense?” said the man. Adjusting her head and sight, Ivy thought of what to say.

“Rebellious? Lord Chancellor, the current movement, as you call it, is to bring Lord Presidency back to what it was intended to be. Nobody wants to overthrow-” The cardinals cut the woman off by gasping at the same time. Though it was barely visible, this, and the woman’s words, put a smile on Lord Chancellor’s face. The only problem they could have right now would come into formation if Ivy had decided to address why she was brought on a different planet. But she hadn’t. She had sealed her fate. “So you do admit that you are leading a movement?” asked one of the cardinals. Ivy was “No! Of course not! We only wanted-” stammered the woman before being cut off again. “We? You mean your rebel group, perhaps?” asked another cardinal. “No, listen. I-” she began to explain, hopelessly. Yet it was futile. “We have heard enough! We will proceed to give you your sentence now!” exclaimed another cardinal. “You can’t do this! Just listen to me!!!” Despite her objection, the cardinals nodded in unison and the Lord Chancellor stepped forward. “You have been found guilty of the aforementioned charges. In the name of Rassilon, President of the Supreme Council of Gallifrey and All Her Dominions, Holder of the Wisdom, Preserver of the Matrix, Guardian of the Legacy of Omega, I, Lord Chancellor of the Supreme Council of Gallifrey, Jeldred of House Sarken, sentence you to die.” Ivy stood shocked, not that she could move otherwise but even if she could, she wouldn’t. Her life was going to end because she was pursuing the right way things should have been. She needed to get out of this shitty situation and she needed to do it fast.

Soon enough, she came up with something. “No! Wait! You can’t physically harm or touch another Prydonian without consent. It’s against the law you passed yourself!” She struck back the Lord Chancellor with his own weapon. Or at least that was what she thought for a moment. “We know that. That’s why we are putting you in a timelock. You won’t be harmed, yet lead a fate perhaps worse than death.” replied one of the cardinals with a smug smile. With that, the last bits of Ivy’s hope of getting out of here were diminished. “No. No, no, not me. I haven’t been seen with those people, have I? Please, listen to me! They will find me eventually and my house won’t stand for it. Only then will it turn into an actual uprising.” she objected, though her objections were ignored. A sarcophagus started to rise from the ground around her, within the containment field. “Goodbye, Ms. Caterion.” whispered the Lord Chancellor. As the sarcophagus started to obscure the woman from view, she began her last pleas. “Please. Total social collapse! It won’t be the same when they find me. Ever! Please! Please, just listen to me!!!” Eventually the sarcophagus closed completely and Ivy stood suspended and out of sight. The cardinals and the Lord Chancellor left the chamber together. Now they had to discuss what to do next to make her disappearance believable.The trio came back to their senses after Ivy shared her memories with them.

*back in the TARDIS console room*

“Interesting memory Ivy.” commented the Games, at which Ivy raised an eyebrow. “Why am I sensing a hint of… sarcasm in your tone?” she asked. The memories she had shown them didn’t contain anything funny; in fact they could be considered quite dramatic. “Because you could avoid your punishment.” explained the Time Lord as he sat on one of the seats nearby the console. Caitlin happened to be behind him, so she used this opportunity to slap the back of the Time Lord’s head. “Hey! Don’t be a jerk now!” Though her warning seemed to have little to no affect on the man, as he didn’t change his relaxed attitude. “Well I had plans for introducing her to the High Council. But I never thought the Architect would get so daft under stress.” he said as he crossed his legs in a comfortable position. “Come on. I was threatened with death, it’s not even comparable to what you are saying. It’s only politics. How hard can it be?” Even though Ivy genuinely thought it would be an easy thing to master politics, having run the planet legally for so many years, the Games knew that was far from the truth. Anything the woman said sounded like an oversimplification to him. To make his point he needed to give an example, and he had the perfect one. “Okay. Then answer this. Do you know what time it is?” he asked with a smile. “Yeah, it’s uh… 3:40.” replied Ivy, though she didn’t understand the purpose of the question. As soon as she answered, the Time Lord made a buzzer sound with his mouth.

“Wrong.” he declared. This piqued Caitlin’s interest; she decided not to interfere but she knew if she had been asked the same question, she would answer the same way. Meanwhile Ivy made a confused expression and looked at her watch again. “I don’t… understand. It’s really 3:40.” Had the Games considered her answer wrong because they were outside of time? Even if they were, it was natural for the TARDIS to simulate a local time for their own timeline. “I know. But it’s still the wrong answer. The correct answer is ‘yes’. When you are asked a question you answer it specifically and leave it there. If they want more information, let them ask for it. Never volunteer anything. Same reason why they made assumptions so easily to frame and seal you.” Both Caitlin and Ivy let out an involuntary gasp. The former did it because she was practically amazed by the precise thinking whereas the latter had done it upon the realization that the Games was right about what he had said. “I guess I really screwed up before.” The Games nodded his head as a no as he stood up. “You just spoke the truth.” he said as he leaned over the console. “Yeah. That’s wrong isn’t it?” asked Ivy with questioning and slightly regretful eyes. The Games looked back at her to meet her gaze, and sported a comforting smile before speaking. “No, not wrong. Just very unusual in that place.”